Find your hunt

How The Draw Works

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife sets tag quotas for hunts for species across the state. Premium deer tags are then awarded in a draw (lottery)

  • For premium deer tags, California uses a combination of preference points and random draw to distributed tags
  • Preference points are accumulated when you apply and don't draw or just purchase a preference point in the draw. You can accumulate one point per year per species.
    • Points move you ahead in the line over other applicants. Applicants with the most points will draw a permit in the preference point drawing.

• The deer draw uses the following rules for allocating tags in non-apprentice hunts:

  • 90% of the hunt quota is awarded by preference point
  • 10% of the hunt quota is awarded by random drawing
  • In instances where the quota is less than 10 tags, 1 tag will be awarded randomly

• The deer draw uses the following rules for allocating tags in apprentice hunts:

  • 50% of the hunt quota is awarded by preference point
  • 50% of the hunt quota is awarded by random drawing

• The draw is conducted in the following manner:

  • A random number is assigned to every application and all applications are sorted by their 1st hunt choice, then sorted by highest preference point to lowest and tthen lowest random number to highest.
  • The preference point quota is awarded for each hunt to the highest point holders with the lowest random number until either the preference point portion of the quota is filled or all 1st choice applicants for the hunt have been awarded.
  • The random draw quota is then awarded to 1st choice applicants purely based on the lowest random number.
  • If any tag quota is left the 2nd choice round is conducted. Preference points are not used in this round so applications are sorted purely by random number.
  • If any tag quota is left after the 3nd choice round, then a 3rd choice round is conducted. This round also only uses the random number assigned to the application

• In general, if draw odds are zero for 2nd and 3rd choices then you should not put those hunts down for your 2nd or 3rd choice!

NonResidents

• For deer hunts nonresidents are placed in the same pool as residents and therefore have the same odds. There is no separate resident/nonresident tag quota or maximum allocation.

Group Applications

• When computing preference points, group applicants points will be averaged and rounded to the nearest whole point.
• For group applicants to deer hunts, if awarded tags to the group would cause the quota to be exceeded, the group application will be skipped.

Understanding Columns

• Min Res/NonRes Pref Pts: minimum number of preference points needed to draw a tag
• Odds @ Min Res/NonRes Pts: the odds of drawing a tag if you had the minumum number of points required. If your points exceeded the minumum then you have 100% chance.
• Res./NonRes. 1st Choice Draw Odds: the odds of drawing in the random drawing of the tag allocation
• Res./NonRes. 2nd Choice Draw Odds: the odds of drawing the hunt as your 2nd choice
• Res./NonRes. 3rd Choice Draw Odds: the odds of drawing the hunt as your 3rd choice